Four men were ordained Dominican priests and six men took final vows as members of the Dominican order in two recent ceremonies at San Francisco's St. Dominic Parish.
The four priests who have completed the Order of Preachers' eight - year formation program and who were ordained on May 31 by Oakland Bishop Allen Vigneron are:
Father Dismas Sayre, 40, a native of Puerto Rico who grew up in Pittsburg, Pa. He served in the U.S. Navy, becoming familiar with the Dominicans at the University of Utah Newman Center. Fluent in Spanish, he has been assigned to Holy Rosary Parish in Antioch, Calif. as a parochial vicar.
Father James Junipero Moore, 31, from Coalinga, Calif., in the Central Valley is an accomplished organist. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., with a master's degree in music. His first assignment will be at the St. Thomas More University Parish at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Father Augustine Highlander, 31, from Southern California, grew up in a non - religious family, converting to Catholicism during his sophomore year at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, Calif. He studied in their great books program. His first assignment is to St. Thomas More University Parish at the University of Oregon.
Father Dominic DeMaio, 31, is from Corvalis, Ore., and met the Dominicans while attending the University of Oregon, joining the order a year after graduation. He is fluent in Spanish and spent a year studying with the Mexican Dominican province house of studies in Mexico City. His first assignment is to Holy Family Cathedral in Anchorage, Alaska.
A week after the ordination rite, June 7, six men took solemn vows ( also known as final vows ) which are taken six years after entering the Dominican Order. All six are scheduled to be ordained to the diaconate on Jan. 31, 2009, by Bishop Vigneron at the new Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland.
Dominican Father Emmerich Vogt, provinicial of the Western Dominican Province, received the vows from:
Brother Michael Augustine Amabisco, 42, from Santa Anna, Calif. He converted to Catholicism during his college years. Prior to entering the Order in 2002, he worked as a geologist and environment consultant. He did his residency year at the University of Utah Newman Center.
Brother Stephen Maria Lopez, 36, from San Diego, is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He was an accountant before entering the order and did volunteer work with the Missionaries of Charity. He did his residency year in Mexicali, Mexico.
Brother Christopher Fadok, 40, is from Phoenix and first met the Dominicans while attending the University of Arizona. He was a computer programmer before entering the order. He will spend his deacon year studying with the Dominicans in Vienna, Austria.
Brother John Marie Bingham, 31, hails from Augusta, Ga. His father was an Episcopalian priest who converted to Catholicism with his entire family while Brother John Marie was in high school. Brother became familiar with the Dominicans while a student at Thomas Aquinas College. He will spend his deacon year studying with the Dominicans in Fribourg, Switzerland.
Brother Lupe Gonzalez, 42, is from Pueblo, Col. He is an electrical engineer and a former major in U.S. Army. He met the Dominicans while assigned to Bay Area. He will spend this upcoming year studying with the Dominicans in Mexico City.
Brother Isaiah Mary Molano, 29, is from Riverside, Calif. He met the Dominicans working on a degree in creative writing and was actively involved with his college campus ministry. He did his residency year at the Arizona State University Newman Center and will spend this year studying with the Dominicans in Washington, D.C.
The first bishop of San Francisco was a Dominican, Bishop Joseph Alemany, 1853 - 1884.
